The case study of Mani Tese

Milan, May xx, 2023 – Avocados will become the world’s best-selling tropical fruit by 2030 with 12 million tons produced and nearly 4 destined for export, according to OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) and FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) estimates.

To ascertain the environmental and social impacts of one of the trendiest foods among young Europeans (and beyond), in early February 2023 Mani Tese carried out an investigative mission on the avocado supply chain in Colombia that resulted in a case study now available on the NGO’s website.

In Colombia, investment in the avocado variety “hass” is setting record after record. In just a few years, the country has in fact become the world’s second largest producer (after Mexico) and the second largest exporter to the European Union (after Peru), growing from 500 tons exported in 2013 to 85,000 (+17,000%) in 2021.

The implementation of the case study is part of the project “Food Wave – Empowering Urban Youth for Climate Action.”, funded by the European Commission and coordinated by the City of Milan, of which Mani Tese is one of the partners.

“For Mani Tese, the realization of food sovereignty passes through a revolution in global agri-food systems,” argues Giuseppe Stanganello, President of Mani Tese . “One of the firm heads of this revolution concerns the full realization that certain consumption in Europe leads to unimaginable impacts on ecosystems and rights in a great many poor and developing countries.”

“In Colombia, in the avocado supply chain, such impacts are less striking than elsewhere,” adds Giosuè De Salvo, Food Wave project manager for Mani Tese . “But it is precisely because of this, that is, because of the possibility that we can still intervene to keep things from precipitating, that we decided to carry out this survey. From here we can start to propose to everyone, citizens, businesses and legislators, to do their part in this revolution. Which is not a partisan revolution but everyone’s.”

The investigation of Mani Tese

The mission carried out by Mani Tese focused on the department of Quindío. During the ten days on site, preceded by intensive desk research, the investigation team met with representatives of various interest groups to try to gather all points of view in order to draw as comprehensive a picture as possible and a set of open questions to ponder.

The area of Colombia where production is being developed is predominantly occupied by the bosque andino, a tropical eco-system rich in biodiversity that plays an important role in mitigating global warming. There are no official statistics yet, but the simple visual record shows how entire areas of Andean bosque have been deforested to make room for avocado plantations.

According to allegations by environmentalists and small farmers, large foreign firms have encroached on protected areas, diverted rivers to obtain water needed for crops, built roads without permits and planted trees in prohibited areas. As a result, campensinos migrate to the cities where they often end up doing informal jobs, swelling the ranks of the urban underclass.

The need for perfect fruit for export also requires extensive use of chemical pesticides, which is also a major cause of bee mortality. In recent years, 44,000 hives have been lost in the Quindío.

In contrast, according to large-scale producers and exporters, who advocate improved infrastructure and a more current revision of regulations, agrochemical abuse is not considered real and, if it exists at all, is attributable to other types of crops, such as bananas or non-export avocados.

To find out more, the case study, an excerpt of which was published in recent days in the newspaper Internazionale, is now available in full on Mani Tese’s website.

Also available on the Mani Tese website is the latest issue of the NGO’s journal dedicated to the theme of food and sustainability entitled “THE FUTURE OF FOOD Food Sovereignty and Agroecology to Feed the Planet.”

For more information:
Giorgia Vezzoli
Mani Tese Press Office
335 8470167
vezzoli@manitese.it
www.manitese.it

DOWNLOAD AND READ THE CASE STUDY